play along
Britishverb
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to cooperate (with), esp as a temporary measure
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(tr) to manipulate as if in a game, esp for one's own advantage
he played the widow along until she gave him her money
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“I think that some of the hemisphere is willing to play along with it because the hemisphere has issues, including security issues, where the U.S. can be of assistance,” Bosworth said.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 21, 2026
So far, it has paid for investors to play along.
From Barron's • Feb. 20, 2026
When useful idiots play along, the hypocrisy is double: Perpetrators pretend to be humane, and apologists pretend to believe them.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 9, 2026
The anonymity allowed viewers at home to play along for the first time, to see if they would fare any better than the faithful at spotting a traitor.
From BBC • Jan. 7, 2026
Dill tried to look happy and play along, but he wasn’t succeeding.
From "The Serpent King" by Jeff Zentner
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
